A Texas company says it has made the first metal gun using a 3-D printer , taking the debate over people 's emerging ability to create their own firearms to a new level .

Solid Concepts , a specialty manufacturing company , said in a blog post it has fired more than 50 rounds from the handgun , even hitting a few bull 's - eyes at more than 30 yards .

The pistol is a version of an M1911 , a handgun designed by John Browning and first used widely in the latter stages of combat stemming from the Philippine-American War . It 's built from 33 mostly stainless-steel parts and has a carbon-fiber handgrip carved with a laser .

`` The 3-D-printed metal gun proves that 3-D printing is n't just making trinkets and Yoda heads , '' the company said in the blog post .

Solid Concepts went out of its way Friday to point out that producing the metal gun is n't meant to advance a trend that worries law enforcement and some politicians . As 3-D printers become more widespread and affordable , some envision a near future in which criminals can crank out untraceable weapons without having to leave their homes .

`` Let me start out by saying one , very important thing : This is not about desktop 3-D printers , '' Alyssa Parkinson , a spokeswoman for the company , wrote in the blog post .

The metal gun was n't a move toward making firearms with a 3-D printer cheaper or more accessible , she wrote .

Basic 3-D printers , such as the MakerBot Replicator 2 , can be bought for around $ 2,000 . But Solid Concepts used a specialized , high-end printer whose cost would be out of reach of most people .

`` The industrial printer we used costs more than my college tuition -LRB- and I went to a private university -RRB- , '' Parkinson said . `` And the engineers who run our machines are top of the line ; they are experts who know what they 're doing and understand 3-D printing better than anyone in this business . ''

Solid Concepts wanted to show that 3-D printing is more than just hobbyists churning out plastic doodads -- it 's a viable option for serious commercial use .

`` It 's a common misconception that 3-D printing is n't accurate or strong enough , and we 're working to change people 's perspectives , '' Kent Firestone , a vice president at the company , said in a statement .

In May , a nonprofit group , also from Texas , stirred far more controversy when it posted a video of the live firing of a plastic handgun created with a 3-D printer .

Cody Wilson , a 25-year-old self-described anarchist , posted instructions on how to make the gun online through his nonprofit group , Defense Distributed .

Those instructions were taken down after the U.S. State Department sent the group a cease-and-desist letter . The group 's website was shut down shortly afterward .

Solid Concepts is a licensed firearm manufacturer . It said one use for its new capabilities with 3-D printers may be selling replacement parts for handguns .

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Solid Concepts is a licensed firearm manufacturer

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The company has made a version of an M1911 from stainless steel with a 3-D printer

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Spokeswoman : Our printer costs `` more than my college tuition ''

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Some fear 3-D printing will let criminals make their own weapons